The Bergara B14 Crest Carbon
The Crest Carbon rifle has many new features, but it is still built around the popular B14 action. Bergara has done a good job perfecting the Remington 700 footprint with the B14. It incorporates nearly all the benefits and brings additional features and quality to the most popular design in use today.
Additionally, Bergara uses its proprietary Cure Carbon barrel in this rifle. The Cure Carbon is an advanced technological design that uses carbon-fiber wrapping as well as a stainless-steel mesh to wick heat from the bore.
The rifle also uses Bergara’s own carbon-fiber stock. The Crest Carbon rifle stock uses a carbon spine, to maintain rigidity, surrounded by hand-laid carbon fiber. The lightweight stock is both handsome and effective, with dual sling studs up front as well as QD flush cups mounted in the key spots for your sling.
The rifle is available in a variety of calibers from .223 Remington up to .300 WM, and barrel lengths vary from 20 to 24 inches. Barrel lengths and twist are optimized for each of the various calibers, but all of them use AICS-style magazines. They also use Bergara’s adjustable trigger, which is a fine option in my experience.
Range Prep
In anticipation for the hunting season, I wanted to set the rifle up for success. It came with Bergara’s own scope base, so all I needed to add was a scope and rings. For that I chose a set of Warne medium rings to mount an Athlon Optics Heras SPR 6-24, which would give me more than enough power to engage typical hunting shots.
The Crest Carbon came with a sling from the factory, also a nice touch and more than adequate for hauling this rifle around. For supported shooting, I added my typical Harris SL bipod, as it hasn’t failed me yet.
I grabbed a couple different boxes of ammo, as well as a few hand loads I wanted to compare. With the rifle in tow, I headed to the range to zero. It didn’t take long to get the scope set and re-zero the turrets.
After confirming zero, I shot a few groups to see how the Crest Carbon rifle would shoot. I’ve noticed in the past that carbon barrels can wander a bit as they heat up. Once I’d put around 10 rounds through the rifle, I noticed a little bit of stringing. I waited for it to cool back down to see if it went back to how it was before warming up.
Field Shooting
Later, I headed into the mountains where we would soon be hunting with the rifle. With no shortage of open space and targets, I wanted to stretch the rifle out a bit. As I sat on top of a ridge overlooking a long, winding canyon, I could see any number of possible targets. In fact, from this same spot, I have seen quite a few bucks that would later visit my crock pot. Across the canyon, I found a large dirt slide that had a nice white rock conveniently located in the middle.
My rangefinder measured 380 yards from this target, so it closely mimicked a typical shot on a deer. I dialed the 2.0 MRAD into the Heras turret and centered it on the target. With a clean break of the trigger, I watched a puff of white dust scatter across the dirt patch. I loaded a second round and followed up with another impact, just to confirm to myself.
I again went to my rangefinder to seek another target, this time a bit bigger and farther away at 640 yards. While this target might have been a touch bigger than a deer’s vital area, it was certainly smaller than the vital zone of a large bull elk, which is certainly in this rifle’s future. Again, I watched the puff of white dust shortly after pulling the trigger, confirming what I expected from this handy little rifle.
Pros and Cons
Let’s talk about the pros of this beautiful little rifle. It is very light compared to something made with traditional steel, which makes it an absolute joy to carry. It is also well-balanced, making it easy to hold up for longer periods. A standing shot or a running shot would be much easier with this rifle.
The built-in features of this rifle are also great. Dual front sling studs are a must for hunting rifles, allowing you to mount both a bipod and sling comfortably. As if that weren’t enough, the stock also incorporates flush cup QD sling attachment points on front and back and both sides of the stock. For those who know, this is very handy for configuring your sling to fit your needs.
The B-14 action is smooth and reliable, and cartridges cycled flawlessly from the AICS magazine. Mags are available in various options like three, five, or 10 rounds. Other features like the included scope rail and threaded barrels just sweetened the deal for me.
There is one thing I would change. I wouldn’t say the rifle shot badly at all – I would feel more than happy taking this rifle on any Rocky Mountain deer or elk hunt – but I would have preferred it shoot a little better. When the barrel was cool, the rifle seemed to average around .75-inch groups. As it heated up, shots began to wander a bit. Cold-bore shots always seemed to hit right where I expected them to, which is certainly a plus.
Closing Thoughts
I’ve been lucky enough to go through half a dozen Bergara rifles, and I have yet to have a bad experience with them. Impressive is one way to say it, but I guess consistency is a more accurate term. Building on the popular B-14 action has been a strong point for Bergara, and like others before it, this one has impressed me.
The Crest Carbon rifle has impressive looks. Everything from the carbon finish to the Cerakote is immaculate. Great features and design make the mechanics of this rifle run like a sewing machine. In my decades of hunting the wilderness of the West, I can’t think of a scenario where this rifle would have failed me. Compared to many of the rifles I’ve carried through these rugged mountains, the Crest Carbon would be a significant step up.
If you are in the market for a good lightweight hunting rifle, make sure you look at the Bergara Crest Carbon options before you get too serious. You might find, as I have, that they are well worth your time.
